Us Against the World
by tt22123
Summary: Snape wants to take Harry back to Privet Drive to ask permission to marry him. What will come of their visit? SNarry story TW; mention of child sexual abuse. I, unfortunately, am not the goddess J. K. Rowling so this does not belong to me, nor am I making money by writiing it.


"Don't, you don't need to ask for their permission."

"Yes I do Harry. I'm doing this properly and that means asking your family if I can have your hand."

"You are my family, just please don't make me introduce you to them."

"You're ashamed of me?"

"NO! No, never. I just- I don't want you to meet the Dursley's. What about Arthur Weasley instead? Or Teddy? They're both my family now."

"I'm asking your uncle and that is final. I'm going to do this the right way." Severus didn't notice the tears that formed in Harry's eyes as they both apparated to Privet Drive where his family had returned to. They knocked on the door and it was soon opened by Dudley who quickly stepped outside and pulled it closed behind him.

"What the hell are you doing back here? He's not in a good mood as it is, you don't want-" Dudley stopped himself as he realised Harry wasn't alone and that he was obviously not wanting to be there in the first place so he pulled Harry close into a semi-awkward hug and began whispering in his ear. "Do you have a death wish? You know what he said he'd do if he saw you again and you know he meant it." Harry pulled back, tears still shining unshed.

"I know Dud. Believe me, I know but I didn't have much choice in the matter."

"You've got choice, just leave."

"What is the problem here young man, we wish to see Vernon Dursley?"

"Actually Sir, I think it is just YOU who wishes that, he's inside. Come on then," Dudley said with a final, sad smile towards Harry as he turned and walked back in. "Dad, there's someone here to see you."

"If it's that bloody Grunnings tell him he can stick his job, he thinks he can fire me then come running back when it all goes to pot he's got another thing coming. He'll have to beg, I want a pay rise and holidays and better benefits and-"

"Yeah, it's not Grunning dad."

Vernon squeaked as he came wobbling out of the room, moving as fast as he could until he spotted Harry stood in the room, like Dudley he didn't notice the man stood behind him.

"What are you doing back here boy? I thought I told you not to come back, I thought I told you, in a lot of detail, what would happen if you did. Now here you are, I can only assume you want it to happen. Come here!" Vernon snapped, Harry instantly complying in shame and fear. He made no sound as the giant fist swung towards him and caught him on the chin, the loud crack hinting that there was enough force behind it to break bone. "Oh I'm going to enjoy this Freak." As he pulled back his arm again he found himself suddenly immobilised by a burst of light from the other side of the room.

"Are you alright Harry? I don't know why you came back. The two of you should leave, he definitely won't be happy when he can move again."

"I tried to convince him not to," Harry mumbled as he tried not to move his jaw.

"Anything broken?" Harry shrugged nonchalantly.

"I've had worse, we both know that this is nothing compared to what he would have done."

"Let me show the both of you out." Harry turned, the tear tracks clear on his cheeks now as he looked towards his ex-professor who was eyeing the lump on the floor stormily until Harry gripped his hand and pulled him from the house.

"Sorry Dudley, thanks."

"Go get yourself healed you idiot. Next time don't take on dad." Severus was still not talking through the shock of why he just saw happen so Harry just continued to pull him away and towards the park Harry used to sit in on a Summer's night.

"Sev?"

"Why?" Harry raised an eyebrow quizzically to save himself from talking. "Why didn't you tell me? Or anyone? Why did he hit you? Why didn't I listen when you practically begged me not to come here? Just, why?"

"Dumbledore knew. Because I'm a freak. Because you thought you were doing right by me."

"That's not exactly clear answers."

"It's not exactly painless to talk so I'll beg you to forgive that."

"Sorry. Let me see." Harry took a couple of steps back towards where he had deposited Snape on the swing and the man cautiously reached forwards to examine the growing bruise on his jaw. Pulling his wand out, Severus cast the diagnostic spell to see that the bone was indeed broken. "This is going to hurt, on the count of 3. 1,-" Severus wordlessly performed the spell and Harry's knees nearly gave out as the bone suddenly jarred back into place. He would have ended up on the floor if it weren't for the potions master catching him and pulling him into a tight hug.

"I don't think you can count."

"It would have hurt more if you were expecting it."

"Yeah, I know. Had enough bones reset to know that much already."

"I am so sorry I forced you to come back here."

"Don't be."

"Your family-"

"Is you now. And the Weasley's and Teddy."

"But they hurt you, and badly if I'm assuming correct. Then I bullied you as your teacher about how pampered you were."

"I knew that I wasn't, that's all that mattered. It wasn't like you resorted to the same things as Vernon-"

Their conversation was interrupted by Dudley walking into the park and looking round, moving towards them when he spotted Harry.

"You alright Dud?"

"Yeah, I- can I talk to you Harry?"

"Course you can."

"No, alone?" Dudley asked while throwing a pointed look towards Severus. Harry just nodded and began to walking away with his cousin once he had given Severus' hand a quick squeeze.

"What's up?"

"Well, I'm guessing you figured out that dad was fired." Harry nodded. "Right, well, it was because they were doing a sweep of the system and found certain things on dad's computer. Pornographic things. Mostly of children." Harry knew where this was going and instantly locked all of his emotions down behind his walls. "Well, the police asked if he ever did anything to me and I said no but they kept you living at home a secret so they didn't ask about you. Did- did he-" Harry nodded almost imperceptibly and basically collapsed against Dudley as his walls fell, tears rolling down his cheeks like a tsunami. Dudley's own tears began to flow as he held in his arms the cousin he had entirely failed to protect and in fact bullied him as well.

"I am so sorry. Truly Harry. I should have helped you, should have protected you. I am the oldest after all, I was meant to look after you."

"Why are you still there if you know what he did, I thought you went off to uni anyways, I thought you were safe away from him."

"I am, it's going well actually but mum left him. She couldn't face seeing him again knowing what he's like, knowing that you and I were both in the house with him. I'm there for a week sorting out all of their stuff and separating it between what stays and what of dads goes to Aunt Marge's with him."

"I'm glad you're safe Dud."

"You too, although I'm sorry I didn't make sure of it sooner. You and that guy look pretty friendly though, why did he make you come back?"

"Thanks. You could say that I suppose. He didn't know ANY of what happened in that house and he wanted to do things 'properly' so he wanted to ask permission from Vernon to marry me, I tried to tell him it was a bad idea."

"Marriage? Well, I'm not Dad so I don't know if he'll accept it, but as long as mum and I get an invite I'LL give the two of you my blessing."

"Really!?"

"Yeah, it's the least I can do to make sure your future is better than your past."

"Thanks Dud."

"My pleasure, you'd best get back over there, he looks panicked, or furious, and I'm not sure which. I'll head back and contain Dad's fury."

"Don't let him hurt you."

"I'm his 'Little Tyke' who has won every boxing match at school and uni, he can try." Harry gave Dudley another quick hug before the two of them went their own ways, Severus pleased that Harry was coming back yet worried about what had made him cry. Instantly Harry pulled Severus close and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips before smiling brightly at him, marred only by the tear tracks.

"If you'll accept it, Dudley gave his blessing on the proviso that he and Petunia can come to the ceremony." Severus nodded but didn't say a word so Harry backed up a few steps, panic in his eyes. "Oh Gods, you don't want to anymore. I knew you'd change your mind if you met him, if you found out the disgusting freak I am." Harry's breath came faster as he spoke until he began running away through the park once he finished. Immediately Severus was running after him and calling out his name but the younger man wouldn't stop running until he couldn't anymore, collapsing in the entrance to the underpass where he and Dudley had been attacked by the Dementors before fifth year.

"I want to marry you still. I swear that I do," Severus said as he neared the man's form on the floor.

"I don't want your pity proposal."

"It isn't pity." Snape pulled the younger into his arms as he crouched down in front of him and held him tightly. I want to marry you Harrison James Potter. I swear that I will be with you through everything, the good and the bad. Your past appears to be the bad, let me make sure that your future is the good?"

"You really want this? Even after what you've found out today?"

"Believe me, I want you to explain everything that you've kept hidden from me since we met when you were 11, but yes, I really want this. I really want you. I'm sure that there will be many obstacles we shall have to overcome, such as my own stupidity. We have your cousins blessing you said, let's not put it to waste. I should have listened to you when you asked me not to come here but traditions guided me more than they should. If you accept your cousin as being able to give it, I will willingly and happily take his blessing, if not then I will ask Arthur Weasley and all his sons, then Teddy, then anyone else I can think off until someone who matters to you gives us their blessing."

"If you had asked when we were children I never would have accepted it but now, he's grown up, we both have, he is more of a man that my uncle ever was. Does that mean we're getting married?"

"That means we're getting married."

"Can-can we just end the day now and go home Sev? I know you'd planned something but-"

"Sure. I'll reorganise it all for another day. Come on." Snape stood up and pulled Harry with him as he did so. Arms instantly wrapped around his neck as Harry pulled himself closer to the man, seeking the comfort there.

"I don't want to cause you any trouble. We- we can continue the day. Just, don't make me go back there?"

"You aren't any trouble to me. Never. You are nothing short of the best thing I have in life and that means you most definitely can't be troublesome. You want to go home, so we go home. We spend the evening relaxing together at home, I'll cook dinner, we can do whatever you want to do for the rest of the day."

"I love you."

"I love you too Harry. Home?"

"Please." Severus nodded once before pulling Harry along to a deserted area, away from any prying eyes, and apparated away with Harry in tow, returning to their cottage. Harry didn't let go even after they landed so Snape lifted him up and legs automatically wrapped around his waist, he walked the two of them over to their couch and sat down with Harry in his lap. "I am sorry for ruining your day Sev."

"Hush now, my day is perfect because my day is with you. It doesn't matter to me what we do today."

"Are you doing this just because you feel guilty about making me go back?" Severus didn't answer so Harry knew that that meant yes and he just didn't want to admit it so he pulled back from the hug slightly to look at the man with a tentative, half- smile. "You're too adorable Severus Snape." The glare that Harry was sent almost made him cower like it did back in his first year as a student at Hogwarts but he held firm with a smile until eventually the scowl abated and was replaced by a similar smile as he shook his head fondly.

"There was a time that I would have terrified you."

"Yeah, there was, but then I've seen you die and I thought that I would never feel pain like I did that day, I saw you limp into my house at 2am because you had been healed and you could only think to come to me, I've seen you try and get along with the Gryffindors that you hate so much just for me, and I've seen you naked as you made love to me. You stopped being terrifying to me a long time ago and I am glad. If you hadn't I would be too scared to do this." The younger man pressed forward and covered the potion master's lips with his own, both moving slowly against each other as eyes fluttered closed.

"Far better than scared," Snape whispered against Harry's lips before deepening the kiss. When they had to separate for air Harry dropped his head onto Severus' shoulder and the room slipped into silence as he took solace in the embracing arms.

"I've had enough of being scared."

"That's alright, I'll protect you. You don't have to be scared anymore."

"I'm always scared. Always looking over my shoulder, in the wizarding world and the muggle one. Scared of the fans and the Death Eaters in one and scared of the abusers and my past in the other." Arms tightened around the smaller man as he tried harder to hide from the world in the potion master's shoulder. Rather than forcing the man to talk, Snape began humming a slow, gentle melody to calm the other and relax him as they sit there, the vibrations from the humming, combined with his steady heartbeat beneath his hand, helping more than the tune itself. "I love Sev."

"And I love you too."

"No, I mean it. I love you."

"And you believe that I don't mean it? I can't begin to pretend that I know what has happened in your past with the muggles, not until you tell me, but I mean it when I tell you that I love you and when I promise you that I will protect you no matter what, and from everything that I possibly can. Do you understand that? No matter what happens it will ALWAYS be us against it, together."

"You shouldn't have to spend your life protecting me because I'm weak. You deserve so much better than me and I can't give you it."

"Look at me," Severus whispered before waiting for the teen to listen to him and meet his gaze, instantly wiping the tears that were falling from his eyes as they raised to meet black. "There you are, my perfect man. My strong Harry. It would be an honour to live my life protecting the man that I love even from his own mind when it tells him that he is weak after EVERYTHING that he has fought through in his life. I don't deserve anything for all the crimes I've committed in my life. What I've got is a miracle and a blessing and it comes in the form of my ex-student who is currently on my lap. I don't want anything other than what I've already got, except the ability to call you my husband and be yours in return. My life is near perfect and the only things that I would change right now is to be able to call you husband and to help you understand that no matter what it is, I will help you because you I love you and how strong you are even when you put yourself down for it."

"Why are you so perfect?"

"I'm really not."

"You are to me though Severus. You are to me."

"That's because I want to be the best man that I can possibly be, FOR YOU. Perfection demands perfection. You can't tell me that you would have put up with me for so long if I still insulted your friends all the time and treated you like an arrogant child who would never be good for anything or anyone."

"Perhaps. I liked you before you appeared on my doorstep after the war, before I found out that you were really always walking for Dumbledore, back when you were that snarky teacher that hated me more than anyone else for reasons that I never quite understood. I wouldn't have liked you treating them badly but I'd of found a way to make us work. I always seem to find a way to get what I want, I wouldn't have let you slip away either."

"Us against the world then?"

"Us against the world."


End file.
